Man in his 70s diagnosed with rare heart defect usually found in infancy: “Lucky to have lived this long”

November 14, 2026 / 8:00 AM EST / CBS News

Mechanic Carlos Perez felt fine as he finished up work at his car repair shop in June 2025. He sat down with a glass of water, planning to relax for a few minutes before heading home.

Then, out of nowhere, his heart started pounding and his chest ached. When he tried to stand, "the world narrowed," Perez said.

"I said, 'Oh, no way,'" Perez, 72, said. "It was coming in waves."

Perez called his daughter-in-law, a doctor, and she recommended he go to the emergency room. His wife brought him to the hospital. There, doctors determined that he was experiencing atrial fibrillation, or AFib, when the heart beats irregularly. The common condition can be dangerous: If left untreated, it can lead to stroke or heart failure.

Perez's heart rhythm stabilized after about 90 minutes. But no one could figure out why the irregularity had happened. A battery of tests found no obvious cause. Then an advanced scan looked at both sides of his heart.

"One doctor came in, then two doctors, and then a whole bunch of doctors went into the room," Perez said. "I'm getting really concerned. And they…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/